Campus Ace Girl-Chapter 564 - 565: Mr. Min, The Madame is Missing

After a long while...

He carried her out of the bathroom. Zhou Yu was crying.

He consoled her, "Why are you crying again? It wasn’t only me who had a good time."

She was silent, merely leaning against the couch, tears streaming silently down her face.

All these years, Min Xin had never treated her so well. He usually disregarded her feelings, a far cry from how he was now, coaxing and cajoling her. Yet, Zhou Yu was determined to leave him.

Min Xin sneered, "Where else could you find a man like me, one who provides you with such a lavish life! Darling, men out there aren’t what you imagine. Most of them are crude. Could you handle that?"

Zhou Yu gazed down. "Anxi said I can be her secretary."

She didn’t feel like elaborating that she was referring to being a ’decorative’ hire. Anxi had said that with her assets, she could still thrive for another ten years or so, earning a high salary sufficient for retirement.

When she thought about it, a life plan like that didn’t seem so bad.

As Mrs. Min, Zhou Yu appeared to lead a glamorous life, but Min Xin kept a tight rein on her. She had no friends, her family rarely contacted her, and her savings were minimal. All her possessions were controlled by Min Xin. She understood his intentions perfectly; it was why she hadn’t been able to escape all these years. She had long been his caged bird.

However, Gu Anxi’s appearance had thrown his meticulously planned life into disarray.

And now, his wife was saying she wanted to be Gu Anxi’s secretary. Moreover, from her words, it was clear she wasn’t just fond of Gu Anxi; she deeply admired her. He hadn’t seen such a girlish expression on Zhou Yu’s face in many years, not since they were newlyweds...

A sudden, suffocating tightness gripped Min Xin’s chest. He silently released Zhou Yu, sat on the other side of the sofa, and lit a cigarette...

Zhou Yu remained curled up where he had left her, silent.

After the time it took to smoke about two cigarettes, he spoke, his voice hoarse, "You know I won’t let you leave. You will stay with me for the rest of your life."

Zhou Yu remained huddled there, not uttering a word.

And from that day forward, he issued a strict order regarding the mansion: Gu Anxi and dogs were forbidden entry!

Zhou Yu’s insomnia returned; she tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. He stayed by her side. Eventually, when nothing else worked, he accompanied her to the hospital, but the doctors couldn’t cure her illness.

Her ailment was a man named Min Xin.

Years had passed. Though he still loved her, his heart had long since become hard as stone.

If her current state could move him enough to let her go, then all his power and influence would have been for nothing.

Min Xin’s increasingly harsh treatment of his wife once again became fodder for gossip in high society. Tang Yuan remained indifferent, but Gu Mingzhu felt a small thrill of excitement.

She wished for a true rupture between Zhou Yu and Min Xin. Then, she would be the rightful young mistress of the Min Family. Besides, her movie, *Pain of Youth*, had recently grossed two billion at the box office, making her an overnight sensation.

So what if Gu Anxi’s perfume sold well? Only the film industry could bring true fame and establish one’s position in the art world. Especially since her movie had already been submitted for Oscar consideration.

All these developments filled Gu Mingzhu with the confidence that she could capture Min Xin’s attention.

She persisted despite being constantly rebuffed, to the point where Min Xin eventually agreed to meet her. Although the meeting was brief and he only spoke a few casual words, it was enough to make Gu Mingzhu ecstatic.

After Gu Mingzhu left, he slowly went upstairs. Zhou Yu was on the balcony, her gaze fixed on the direction Gu Mingzhu had departed.

Min Xin walked over and embraced her from behind. "What are you thinking about? Are you afraid I’ll officially recognize her and upset you?"

Zhou Yu didn’t speak.

Min Xin chuckled. "You know, someone of my status can’t have an illegitimate child."

Zhou Yu finally understood his implication, her pupils constricting. "She is still your own flesh and blood."

"So what if she is?" he said dismissively. "That’s just biological. Spiritually, I already have a child."

As he spoke, he glanced at her.

Zhou Yu turned, her hands gripping the railing. "Do what you want with her. It has nothing to do with me. Whether she lives or dies is none of my concern."

"Heh," he laughed. "I thought you were so compassionate you’d even save your husband’s offspring. Turns out I misjudged you."

He held her close, his voice low and husky. "Ah, I can’t seem to find your weakness. What should I do?"

Zhou Yu didn’t answer, thinking he was sick in the head. He’s insane.

Min Xin pressed closer, his voice dropping to a near-inaudible, husky whisper, "Or is your weakness hidden deep in your heart? Shall we examine Little Yu’s heart then...?"

His voice was so low and raspy, and his words so shameless, that Zhou Yu couldn’t bear it. She closed her eyes. "Min Xin, we’re not like we used to be. It’s useless... Whatever you do, it’s useless."

He chuckled softly. "But I can keep you by my side forever. Yuyu, you can’t escape."

Held in his arms, Zhou Yu looked down. Her gaze fell upon his men stationed everywhere; not even a bird could fly out.

Indeed, she could not escape.

She turned, intending to go rest, but Min Xin stopped her.

His voice was very soft, like a bubble about to disappear at any moment. "Zhou Yu, don’t you want to ask me why?"

In all these years, she had never asked.

She had raged, cursed, fought, and demanded a divorce, but she had never asked why...

Zhou Yu froze. After a long pause, she chuckled softly. "After all this, what meaning would it have?"

Even if there was an explanation, she wouldn’t consider him worth forgiving. The damage was real; her suffering over the years was real.

And Min Xin, so successful and in high spirits, with woman after woman by his side... His professed love seemed so laughable to her. No one forced him down this path; he chose his ambition over her. From the very beginning, she was the one he cast aside, a mere accessory to his power, a plaything, not even considered a person... If he wanted to tell her now that he actually loved her, well, he could tell someone else. She really wasn’t that interested in hearing it.

Min Xin stared intently at her retreating back, wanting to chase after her, but he gave up the idea.

She despised him too much right now. If he went after her, he would only be bringing humiliation upon himself.

In the following days, although their emotional communication had ceased and she consistently ignored him, this didn’t deter him from other activities—Min Xin resumed a period of domestic life. He rarely went out, had almost completely cut ties with other women, and would head straight home after work to accompany his wife...

This kind of life didn’t seem so bad. Min Xin also felt that Zhou Yu had given up struggling.

Yes, so many years had passed; she must have gotten used to it by now.

Just as he was feeling certain of this and had begun to attend some social engagements in the evenings, a call came from the villa. The voice on the other end was frantic, "Mr. Min... M-Madam... Madam... is gone."

Min Xin was furious. "How could she be gone? Are you all useless?!"

How could she possibly disappear? The villa was surrounded, layer upon layer; how could she have vanished?

Min Xin immediately left his engagement and drove back...

Zhou Yu was indeed gone. All her belongings were neatly in place, not a single item missing...